Spring 2007

WGS 340 • Nationalism & Gender in South Asia

Course Description

This course asks why nationalist movements so often take reform of women's roles as central to their political projects. By focusing on gender, the course explores the consequences of Partition for the subcontinent, and examines the cases of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka to understand what role Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism have played in the genesis of nationalist ideologies and ethnic conflict. The course is interdisciplinary and draws upon commercial and independent cinema, documentary film, novels and memoirs, as well as contemporary historiography and social science to analyze South Asian nationalist movements. Prerequisites: It is strongly recommended that students have some prior knowledge of South Asia before enrolling in this class.

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